Deshaun Watson: Once More, With Feeling

Monday

Jan 9, 2017 at 10:37 AMJan 9, 2017 at 10:59 AM

Eric Boynton Staff Writer @ericjboynton

Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson has experienced the exhilaration of being showered with confetti as he stood triumphantly atop a makeshift stage on the stadium field, smiling and waving to a loud and adoring crowd.

It’s happened multiple times — after a pair of ACC championships and two wins in the CFP semifinals — but never during the ultimate time. He had his first opportunity last year, but it was Alabama that once again got to soak in the spoils of winning another national championship, leaving the Tigers with nothing but a vow to be back a full year later.

And here they are, after Watson was among the first to confidently proclaim “See you in Tampa” in last season’s losing locker room before delivering on that hefty boast. The second-ranked Tigers get a second shot at No. 1 Alabama, hoping to derail the dynasty and deliver Clemson to the top of the heap for only a second time.

But even if Watson, a junior and near certainty to declare his early departure for the NFL, never gets to experience hoisting the national championship trophy, glistening with confetti among the barrage of flashbulbs, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney says his legendary status is already secured.

“If he wins it, it’s just another thing to add on his resume. And if he doesn’t, nobody will have been more prepared and nobody played harder,” Swinney said. “His legacy is well-established here in my opinion. This guy is a phenomenal winner and nothing that happens Monday night is going to change that for me. It may change that for somebody else out there, but not for me. This guy’s the best player in the country, this year and last year, and I don't need him to stand on a stage and hold the trophy up to have that validated.”

When Watson did last stand on a postgame stage, one of the teammates he shared it with was defensive end Clelin Ferrell after they were named offensive and defensive MVP’s of the Fiesta Bowl. Ferrell helped spark his unit’s third shutout of the season, but he understands his quarterback is the straw that stirs the drink.

“We understand without him we probably wouldn’t be where we are right now because of the type of player and person that he is,” Ferrell said. “He’s not just a great player, but he makes everybody on the team want to play for him. We’re very blessed to have him on this team because we know how much of a program-changer that he is.”

Alabama coach Nick Saban also weighed in on Watson in the days leading up to having to try and stop him, saying, “He may be arguably the best player in college football. He is the complete package of everything that you could ever want or look for in a guy at quarterback. I think that’s why they’re a very dynamic offense.”

Despite the season about ready to wrap up with the main goal the Tigers were shooting for — a second-straight berth in the national championship game — it’s been somewhat of an off-kilter year for Watson.

He began the season with the last memory he left having been a spectacular performance in a losing effort to the Crimson Tide during last year’s national championship. Watson threw for 406 yards and four touchdowns and added another 70 on 20 rushes. That virtuoso effort made him the first in FBS history to top 4,000 passing and 1,000 rushing yards in the same season.

In August, Watson graced the covers of the Sports Illustrated and ESPN Magazine football preview editions and had become college football’s biggest and most recognizable star.

He was the clear preseason frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy and was expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft without question. Clemson’s offense, with the return of a healthy Mike Williams, was talked about in various circles as having a chance to be historically prolific. But the Tigers stumbled from the gate, looking out of sorts and lacking the joyful spirit that had flowed from the previous year’s squad. Watson even felt compelled to give an offbeat sort of public apology after the opening two games.

“It wasn't much of an apology to the fans,” Watson said recently. “It was just letting my teammates know we needed to play better as a whole and it started with me. I have no reason to apologize to anyone. I go out there and put the work in every week. We just needed to know the energy level wasn’t right.”

Even though the Tigers were winning, Watson began to take heat for throwing an abundance of interceptions. Not all were his fault, but all went on his stat sheet and suddenly he began to drop from the upper echelon of both the Heisman chase in addition to some pundits selling off their Watson draft stock.

But Clemson kept on winning, only losing on a last-second field goal to Pittsburgh in a game where Watson, with his team’s run game completely stymied, threw for an ACC record 580 yards on a school-record 52 completions. In that game, he also became only the sixth ACC player with 10,000 yards of total offense, the first junior to surpass that milestone.

But Watson also threw a late interception on an awful decision from inside Pitt’s 5-yard line, where a chip-shot field goal very well could’ve kept the Tigers undefeated. Watson’s ridiculous stat line got buried in the upset loss and the slightly strange year continued.

Some of the negativity prompted Swinney to say he felt people had “become numb” to the greatness of his quarterback.

The only thing more impressive football-wise than Watson’s individual numbers are his wins and losses, as he’s a remarkable 31-3 as a starter. The only three defeats were the aforementioned special efforts against Alabama and Pitt and a loss at Georgia Tech as a freshman when he started the game before exiting with a knee injury prior to the end of the first quarter.

A few other facets of his season included Watson receiving his degree in communications in only three years and receiving a national community service award from Habitat for Humanity, for whom he’s been a longtime spokesman.

Swinney said Watson’s considerable legacy is already set in stone and he’s correct, so how does the player want to be remembered?

“Just a guy who gave his all on and off the field and finished the deal each and every week,” Watson said. “A great citizen, a great guy that loves people and just enjoys life. Someone who always has a smile on his face and lives life to the fullest and just tries to be as successful as I can be.”

As for brushing aside the criticism, some fair and some unwarranted, as he began to live life in a fishbowl, Watson started to become very astute at rolling with the punches.

“Regardless of the good and the bad, you always have to move forward,” he said. “You can never dwell on all that stuff because it sets you back and the next opportunity that comes up might pass you by, so you always have to live in the present. Have a little bit of the past going to keep you motivated, but always see what the future brings and strive to be the best you can be regardless of the situation.”